Chemistry
by snowspell
Summary: When Yuseph returns to Mombasa the team has to find a new chemist.  But how do you vet someone who is creating an illegal and highly dangerous drug and is then going to inject you with it and have access to your body while you are effectively comatose?


Title: **Chemistry**  
Category: Movies » Inception  
Author: snowspell  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: General  
Published: 01-21-11, Updated: 01-21-11  
Chapters: 1, Words: 1,622

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

Arthur shot up, out of the recliner with a gasp, a cold sweat slicking his trembling body. His stomach gave a sickening lurch before rebelling. He had just enough time to roll to the side before the contents of his stomach made a precipitous reappearance. When his stomach had settled he turned to assess the others who had gone under with him. Eames had managed to keep control of his stomach but he was white as a sheet and a fine quiver was coursing through his form. Ariadne was fairing no better than he and had also thrown up. She was rinsing her mouth with some water. Arthur turned a venomous glare at Chuck, their current chemist. Yoseph had decided to return to Mombasa after the inception and they had yet to replace him with someone adequate. Finding a chemist to make a highly illegal substance was hard, add to that the fact that Somnicine was difficult to produce and that Arthur had was sensitive to any error in proportion and you had a recipe for the run of disasters that had befallen them over the last 8 months. Ariadne clambered out of her seat and stalked over to the man who was currently watching them with a puzzled look on his face. "What the hell was that!" she screamed, jabbing a finger into Chuck's shoulder. "Hey lady! It's not my fault you guys can't handle your drugs. I made this shit the same way I always do," Chuck defended himself while rubbing his abused shoulder. "Yeah, that's exactly what you made, _shit_," Ariadne said, disgust dripping from her tone, "Why don't you pack up that Playschool chem. set and get the hell out of here. I'd have better luck making the Somnicine myself than letting your poison near my veins again!" Eames gave the man a bit of a sympathetic smile as if to say _'What are you gonna do?'_. Chuck groused about the unfair treatment and the team's general lack of flexibility as he packed up and left. Arthur methodically cleaned the mess from the floor and got water bottles for the three of them. They lay back in their recliners sipping water and waiting for the remaining drug to work its way out of their systems. With the unknown changes in the formula, none of them were willing to risk even antacids to settle their stomachs.

"Well, strike that wanker from the list," Eames said in a conversational tone after a while, "Who's left?" Arthur mentally reviewed the list of available chemists out of habit and sighed in frustration, "No one." Ariadne turned to them, "What do you mean 'no one'?" she asked in surprise. "There are no other available chemists that I would trust to take a needle to me. All of the good ones have steady jobs and we have tried everyone else in Europe, the UK and America," Arthur clarified. "Damn," he muttered in annoyance. Replacing chemists were difficult. They could continue to buy drugs from Yoseph but it was difficult to ship and they often needed other drugs or variants on the drug while in the field. It just wasn't a practical long term solution. Arthur noticed that Eames had been uncharacteristically quiet and turned to check on him. The forger was looking off into the middle distance with a considering expression on his face. Ariadne returned to her designs to work out some additional kinks that had come up during the dry run. Finally Eames spoke, "I may know someone that can do it but it won't be easy to get them." Arthur quirked an eyebrow, although he wasn't truly surprised. Eames seemed to have an unending list of contacts that could be bought for the right price. It just depended on whether they wanted to pay it.

Eames and Arthur stepped out of the cab in front of a line of shabby brick row houses. Eames walked down the row, ignoring the house numbers but obviously looking for something. Finally he stopped at one of the identical houses that seemed to have whatever sign he was looking for. Without thinking Arthur scrutinized the outside of the house to determine what had caught the thief's eye. Just below the house number he found a crude tile mosaic of a moon on a dark blue background. He filed this information away as he watched Eames fish a key from his pocket and unlock the door. With a cheeky grin he ushered Arthur into the small front hall. Eames walked through the downstairs, Arthur trailing behind him. The house was simply decorated in a bold color palate. Arthur recognized that most of the furniture looked mismatched showing the owner's lack of funds. Finding no one, Eames walked up the stairs. Half way up the stairs they detected music. It got steadily louder as they headed down the upstairs hall and opened a closed bedroom door. Eames continued on to the only other closed door. Arthur followed while taking note of the clothing, books and various hobbies strewn about the room. He turned just as Eames opened the door to a bathroom, an occupied bathroom. Arthur's eyes trailed down the body of the woman standing before them, completely naked. Water dripped from her hair, collecting into large drops that coursed down the valley between her full breasts and made a wet trail down her rounded stomach to… Arthur resolutely forced his eyes back up to the woman's face. Surprisingly the woman did not seem shocked, angry or embarrassed. Her dark eyes were widened in surprise but her full lips were turned up in a smile as they opened to speak.

Base throbbed through the room as _Disturbia_ blared over the sound of the shower. Luna twitched her hips to the music as she finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair and switched off the shower. Pulling the shower curtain open she froze at the sight before her. She had given her key to her ex-boyfriend years ago but had never really expected him to use it. She certainly didn't expect him to bring a…_lawyer?_ with him. With a lazy smile she stepped out of the shower, "Hullo Danny."

A smile lit Eames' eyes, "Hullo Luna. How've you been?" Arthur rolled his eyes and turned a glare on his friend, "Eames, we should give your friend some _privacy_," he ground out in a low murmur. The woman had pulled a towel down from the rack and was drying herself off with no hint of concern, "Go on down and make a cuppa? I'll be down in a pinch." Arthur turned to leave, tugging Eames with him when Luna's voice called after them, "Oh, don't use the milk, it's Boric Acid." As they made their way to the kitchen Arthur questioned, "Boric Acid?" Eames chuckled, "Same old Luna. She can't stop experimenting and always used to have a lab in her kitchen," he explained. Based on the state of the kitchen, things had not changed since Eames had last seen Luna. The entire dining room table was taken up with a chemistry set. Some yellowish substance was slowly dripping out of the elaborate device into a glass beaker. Eames carefully maneuvered in the cramped space, setting a kettle on to boil and scooped loose tea into a chipped teapot. Arthur watched in bemusement as Eames set up a proper English tea using mismatched teacups and filling plates with crumpets and cookies. This was a side of the disreputable conman that he would never have expected. Arthur took the loaded tea tray into the living room at Eames poured boiling water into the teapot and then followed them. A few moments later, Luna came down the stairs, now dressed in a pair of close fit jeans and a dark blue sweater. Arthur observed that the color set off her cinnamon complexion well. She gave the tea tray a quick once over as she headed to the kitchen. A few moments of rummaging and she came back with a small pitcher of milk for the tea. They stayed silent as she poured their drinks and they each took some of the snacks. Luna curled up in a red overstuffed chair, balancing her saucer on her knee as she regarded Eames with a welcoming smile. Arthur got the impression that she was truly glad to see the thief and yet he couldn't sense the sexual tension that he would expect from old lovers. "What have you been up to? It must be loads more interesting than my life," she said with an eager grin. Eames raised a disbelieving brow, "Don't tell me you've setting down, Duckie. I'll be heartbroken." Luna giggled at Eames' obvious flirting and shook her head, "Not really but I'm bored to sobs by my job. Low level chemist at a local lab. Nothing challenging for months. The most exciting thing to happen was when a stray cat got in and knocked over my chemicals. Got quite the little bang out of it and had to explain to the police but it all worked out." Now I want to hear about your capers. If I can't do anything fun I might as well live vicariously through my nefarious friends."

...ooo000ooo...

**I haven't really done this before but I'm desperate. Please review if you read this. I really need feedback, and my ego could use a boost, if you are so inclined. :-) I love constructive critisism, praise and suggestions on where to go next...flames will be fed to the dragon.**


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